CASH BOOST: £23m to be spent on Lancashire’s highways

Investment: Roundabout at junction of Churchill Way and Hough Lane in Leyland

Published:19:50Friday 27 March 2015

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Millions of pounds are to be invested into highways around Lancashire, it has been announced.

A £23m project agreed by Lancashire County Council will see miles of roads repaired, hundreds of streetlights replaced and bridges fixed in the next year.

A further £25m will be invested over the next three years following successful bids to government for extra cash, unveiled by the Department of Transport this week.

And county chiefs have also pledged to spend £500,000 to tackle cycling casualties.

County Coun John Fillis, cabinet member for highways and transport, said the programmes were “vital” to maintain the condition of roads.

From April, teams will begin laying fresh tarmac as part of a £16m investment in roads and pavements. A further £3m has been set aside to inspect and strengthen bridges, with £1m allocated for drainage schemes and a further £1m to replace aging streetlights.

County Coun Fillis said: “Our transport infrastructure is vital for everyone to get from A to B and to support the county’s economy. This programme of planned maintenance will extend the life of our roads and replace the most worn out surfaces, which is vital to keep them in good condition over the long term.”

The Department for Transport announced the county will get a £14.8m grant towards a £19.8m scheme to upgrade 67,000 streetlights with energy-saving LED lamps and replace 4,000 aging lighting columns.

Part of this funding will also go towards providing about 150 extra charging points to encourage uptake of electric vehicles. Lancashire will also receive £5.1m towards a £6.6m scheme to replace the central crash barrier between J10 and J14 of the M65.

It has also been announced that £500,000 is to be spent by county chiefs to tackle cycling casualties, following an increase in the number killed or seriously injured from 68 to 100 between 2012 and 2013.

Projects in Central Lancashire include £47,565 for a shared use facility at the roundabout at Churchill Way and Hough Lane in Leyland, and also £47,565 towards improvements at the roundabout junction of Yarrow Valley Way, Coppull Road and Moor Road in Chorley.